FMS Cessna 182 1500mm PNP - Model AV8R Review

[@43rocket]

wish they would make this motors sound less hi pitch.

[@lwrandall]

Great review as always. The only thing stopping me from getting this are those good awfully loud wheels. It’s like nails on a chalk board. Can grease or Dubro soft wheels help?

[@AviatorJohn70]

Yep, they sound so cheap on the runway.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! Yes...you can always replace the wheels if you like. Du Bro foam wheels are fine, and still very light. I'd never not get a plane over wheels. The thing is...these factories buy wheels in the thousands. Every plane has to have them. They know the going gripe with people is hard wheels, and that will change eventually...but not before they get their moneys worth out of their investment by using what they already have paid for. In the mean time...wheels are a inexpensive and easy thing to change if you want.

[@capitancairlblandford5785]

Whats your flaps settings? Takeoff flaps and landing flaps? Also are you using elevator mixing with the flaps?

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

07:56 is our full set up including flaps. If you click on the number it will take you right to it.

[@JMan-m6q]

Adam, great overview as always! Aside from the crooked "SKYLANE" sticker the side stripes stickers directly applied over rudder servo looks pretty bad. FMS should'a provided a plastic servo cover to look better for a $300 plane (sans Reflex) -just saying.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks!

[@dja1353]

Hay Bob Hoover! I think I see the cowl flap or flaps. This is my way of distinguishing a 182 from a 172. The 172 has none.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Ha! Very cool.

[@dominicbonadies6021]

Hey Adam I wondering what is the best way to land my P51 Mustang with raked forward landing gear?

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Three point it. Less chance of a nose over.

[@tonydarst8211]

Great review, flying, and as always, outstanding camera work! The scale fidelity on this one is absolute. The only complaint I have is rather generic and applicable to far too many models: Please, for the love of all things holy, figure out how to quiet down the wheels/landing gear. That noise is almost as bad as fingernails on a chalk board!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! Lol, the sound is greatly intensified by our off camera mic. Wheels are easy to replace for the end user. The factories will eventually go with softer tires, but only after they have used the ones they have on hand that are already paid for. They buy them in the thousands.

[@dominicbonadies6021]

Hey Adam do you have any ideas how to get the buttons on the locking tabs for wings to depress so I can take the wings off? I couldn't even get them to unsnap using the force of a screwdriver!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

I pushed mine with my finger like you see in the video. It took a bit of pressure, but not nearly enough to need a screwdriver. You may be pushing the wrong side of the tab. Ck. the assembly pics in the vid to make sure. The markings on the tabs can be confusing.

[@RichieRich980215]

Adam, does this plane have metal gear servos? Nice flying Adam! 👏👏👍😃

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Nope, plastic gears....but it is a 182. For sport/scale flying they are fine.

[@raybrown2771]

I have this model and it’s very nice. Only negative is the tires. They sound terrible, like a garbage bin rolling out to the curb. I wish they’d design better tires.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Lol. You've been watching Jon I see. Replace them. $15 for Du Bros. Good to go.

[@jayaustin3096]

What a great looking plane. Those tires make my teeth hurt when it lands. Lol. Shout out to your camera crew. Awesome job. That makes the video. I think Heidi makes you look like a way better pilot than you really are. Lol. Great job guys. Adams turn to cook dinner tonight.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Heidi really is masterful on the camera. Yep, my turn! Lol.

[@dominicbonadies6021]

Hey Adam here is something people should no as well, on my 7th flight the base of the wing supports on both sides of the fuse came off while flying and the wings started flexing terribly and almost folded up. When I landed it I noticed there was almost no glue on them or the fuse.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Interesting. That is the first instance of that I've heard about. Probably the exception and hopefully not the rule.

[@johnbaker2060]

Kinda off topic But how and what do I look for when propping up ? I want run the super timber on 4 cell but not sure what to do with the watt meter .

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

First do a pull on the watt meter with the stock prop on 6s. The amps you pull on that test is your base. You want to get the amps on 4s as close as you can to what it did with the stock prop on 6s without going over. Start with a 15 x 10. We have a video on Watt Meters 101...check that out.

[@douglascorley6630]

All I can say is wow dang it

[@capitancairlblandford5785]

As always great review and great flights. Happy Flying

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks man! Happy Flying!

[@alexandernentwig9596]

I also like the looks and all the tech details that FMS came up with to make the plane easy to transport in a smaller car and no fiddling with countless connectors. What I do not like at all is the wheels that make this rattling, super cheap sounding noise. A lot of of planes do this. As if decent bearings would cause a fortune. Furthermore, these cheap plastic on metal ‘bearing’ easily wear out and after a while the wheels do not track well anymore. The blinking nav lights are also super annoying, not only because the blink, but rather that they blink independently. That means (very likely) the LEDs themselves are blinking and the only way to change this is, to replace them with non blinking ones that are still bright. Finding a nice bright LED with low power consumption is actually harder than I thought it would be nowadays. Except for that: well done, FMS! And as usual, you and Heidi made the Cessna shine as bright as it could, Adam! 😊

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! The wheels sound much worse on camera due to our off camera mic than they do in person. That said Du Bros are available if anyone wants to replace them. FMS and other factories use the hard tires because they buy tires in the thousands and have a bunch still on hand. They're going to get everything out of that investment they can before they buy more and go with softer tires. I'm not sure why they did the lights that way.

[@rgsvidz]

@@ModelAV8RChannel I put Du-Bro low-bounce wheels on the earlier 1.4M version of this plane - highly recommended! There's a bit of a weight penalty but it is soooo much better otherwise. In case it's helpful, I installed Du-Bro 2" #200T on the mains, and Du-Bro 1.75" #175T on the nose gear. You do have to shim the Du-Bro wheel with small washers as the hub is slightly thinner than the stock wheels but that's really easy. I also put a dab of moly-lube grease on the spindle for good measure. As always, thanks for a great review! This new version addresses a lot of issues with the older plane and I'm tempted to upgrade. I'm very partial to scale Cessnas (my dad flew several of the different Cessna 17x series).

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

@@rgsvidz Thanks man! BTW...this is not an upgraded version of the old sky trainer. It is a completely new...and larger mold.

[@rgsvidz]

@@ModelAV8RChannel Yes, I should have referred to this as "the successor to the SkyTrainer 182 1.4M". Unfortunately, my SkyTrainer 182 bit the dust today - coming out of a gentle loop (very much like the one you do at 17:34) the left wing snapped in half. I think that's the Achilles heel of the SkyTrainer 182 - the wing spar is just too short and it's just not engineered for high(er) G maneuvers. The new plane's airframe seems much more robust, and I love that it's 4S capable right out of the box. I wonder if FMS will give me a pity discount off a new Cessna 182? 🤣 Oh, one other thing that's gotta go on both the SkyTrainer 182 and this Cessna 182 - the plastic-geared servos (at least for the rudder/nosegear). I put a 15g metal-geared servo in my SkyTrainer after stripping 2 of the FMS servos and never looked back. Now if only I could upgrade my flying to look as good as you... 😁

[@EvilMerlin]

It is almost 2x as much to ship this plane here to me in Hawaii as the model actually costs.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

I imagine that is the case shipping a lot of larger packages to Hawaii.

[@Retset]

The scale fidelity and ease of assembly are top notch. Testing it on 3 cell was a great idea; not setting your world on fire is the modus operandi of this sort of plane full size so 3 cell will be great for scale flying. If it will carry a pair of 2200 3 cell lipos in parallel, it would give some gas rivalling flight times. Gratz to FMS for the plane (ignoring the lights ...) and Adam & Heidi for another great test. Edit: I'd love you to review the Reflex V3, preferably on a non-FMS plane (ie no premade config)

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks man! Great flyer, and the lights are an easy fix.

[@frankdevine5831]

I’ve watch about 10 videos by various reviewers on this plane and this was by far the best IMO. Just found your channel and subscribed!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks very much! Welcome!

[@Bellairvideo]

Well presented Adam & Heidi. I found it hard to concentrate though as i was focused on the new AV8R Tee😊 Such a lovely aircraft. A real decision maker between the Super Timber & this.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks Noel! Well, I know the clear windows are a factor for you.

[@Bellairvideo]

If it only came with a tee shirt!

[@SunriseRCAviator]

Nice review Adam! The only odd thing is they should have made a quick connector for the servo cables for the tail section just like with the wing.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks man! I think because you only do it once they just went with regular plugs.

[@SunriseRCAviator]

@@ModelAV8RChannel Most might not take it apart but I and some others store it in the box when not flying.

[@kahramankaraca7036]

A model to fall in love with

[@IansRCExploits]

I had the older version of this plane Adam before they called it the Cessna, flew amazing!! But the nise gear wasn't very strong, looks like theyv'e beefed it up a bit!! Lovely review Adam and Heidi 😀👍

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks Ian! This one is actually a new mold altogether.

[@SteffenRC]

Great review Adam. Its a nice flying plane and travels well... You know what I think of the wheels and nose gear.. 🙂. I messed with the lights and got the nav lights to stay solid, but I may move to the proper location later...

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks man!

[@dominicbonadies6021]

Hey Adam FYI! I flew mine with a HRB 4S 60c 4200 pack slid all the way back under the pilot's hand for good balance and it flew great. 8 minute flights and better.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Nice! Interestingly enough that is where I put the 2200 and 2600 packs. I prefer it a bit lighter, but that is just my personal preference.

[@mradcliff]

I purchased the red model. I set it up with a Spektrum receiver with AS3X and it flies beautiful. Mine has the crooked decals. I contacted FMS customer service complete with pictures of my model including pictures of a full scale 182 showing how the decals should look. My suggestion was send me a new vertical fin and decals and I will correct the problem. They see nothing wrong. HA! They offered me $10 off. I tried the ice cube method and it did not work. If I can come up with paint to match I would pull the decals and repaint the fun and replace the decals.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Interesting. I'm not sure how I'm going to fix mine. I think for 10 off I might just get a vertical and print the decal myself. I think a Cricket will do it. I can do the work like you said and Heidi can match the paint, but a new vertical would make it so easy. Time is money I guess, Lol.

[@davegillespie3948]

Great video and nice flying of a super nice model.,....just wish these manufacturers would put better tyres/wheels on. The noise ruins a really nice experience. Nitpicky? Maybe, but surely a cheap enough solution for them .

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! Actually, these factories buy tires in the thousands, every plane has to have them. They have a bunch of the harder ones on hand as tires have only recently became something a bunch of people complain about. They will go to softer tires, but only after they get their moneys worth out of the ones they already paid for. Thankfully, in the mean time it is also a cheap enough solution for us...

[@jerryc1491]

What a great model looks very nice however I do prefer the livery on the sky trainer but still looks nice! But what's up with the no n- numbers blue or the red? Nice presentation I just love Cessna's also I would have to change the nav lights to solid in stead of flashing just looks more scale to me.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

The lights are an easy fix. The red doesn't have an N number...so you can put a custom one on it. I kinda like that.

[@davidsnyder238]

Beautiful presentation of a beautiful model Adam.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks David!

[@purcellrcaviationchannel]

One beautiful model of the Cessna 182. Love it! I'd fly it 3S for the floaty, scale flying... but what a great review of the whole performance envelope, Adam. Really enjoyed this video.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

It is Gina! Thank you!

[@TheBandit59]

My wife bought me an apprentice 1.2m S RTF, it went together easy, but when you try to move the ailerons , the vertical stabilizer move left and right at the same time, even when the stick for the vertical stab also works. Help, I am clueless

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

That is a programmed in mix to help coordinate turns for a beginner.

[@TheBandit59]

@@ModelAV8RChannel So it is ok to fly like that? Thank you

[@TheBandit59]

@@ModelAV8RChannel My wife surprised me with this one, but if I learn to fly well enough, i’d like to get a Super Timber, can I buy one through a link to your channel, or do you have a code to use to link it to you? I appreciate you getting back to me, I have been waiting to fix this issue to fly, and apparently its me not the plane? Thanks again!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Yep, that is normal. The mix is there to help you. If you can, contact a local club and get some assistance from someone experienced before your first flight. Having a knowledgeable set of eyes to look the plane over, maiden and trim it, and give you some pointers is always a big help. I know they (Apprentice) are marketed as "Teach yourself to fly", but I've seen a lot of people crash them. This is a particular skill set, and while it will get easy, it isn't at first. Best of luck and happy flying! When you're ready for a Timber you can just go through any link to Horizon on any of our videos.

[@TheBandit59]

@@ModelAV8RChannel Thank you so much for your videos and info, I live in rural Wyoming, your videos and comments are the best I can hope for, and I do appreciate it !

[@markbyfield7050]

Love the camera work on this, and all of your videos! Kind of weird they dropped the ball with the decals and lights but ....... looks like another 'plane I 'need'!!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! Yep...another keeper!

[@Didjeridoolove]

Father’s Day is coming so,I’ll lay it on thick to the Mrs.😂.. if that doesn’t work,then it’s definitely up to me!! Great review as always.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Ha! That will probably work! Thanks man!

[@odwatchguy]

Nice review and flying of the FMS Cessna 182. The touch and go's reminded me of watching these planes coming into Oshkosh and the ATC telling pilots to hold it off till the purple dot, nicely done.I really don't like those squeaky wheels and hard tires, but looks like a really scale plane overall. Nice video Heidi, you really had the plane looking good. Thanks guys

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks a lot!

[@JeffinLowerAlabama]

Adam great review and wow Heidi amazing video, go Team Model AV8R. Jeff in LA USA

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks brother Jeff!

[@dandanthedandan54321]

FMS made a sharp looking Cessna 182 with nice features in a convenient 1.5m size and at a fantastic price point. Winner winner chicken dinner!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

I agree!

[@sceadu498]

Nicely done Adam, was hoping you would do a review of it. You are my go to guy for reviews. Always look for yours first.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks very much! We appreciate that.

[@jollyroger2226]

Very nice presentation. I am really impressed with how FMS has designed this to go together. (without so many screws) I loved your smooth and scale like flying, and your attention to the scale details. Good show !

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks very much! Yep, well designed model.

[@dominicbonadies6021]

What a fantastic job Adam and great flying as well!!!!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks!

[@jcb6713]

nice review and info...great flight !

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks!

[@manuelbeltranmeza]

Very nice plane, greetings from Mexico

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Glad you liked it!

[@railfanWV]

Based on photos and my experience with real 182s, I think the placement of the lights is good. The Cessna 182 has one landing light, in the leading edge of the left wing, the nav lights are in the leading edge wing tip clear housing, generally with the anti collision strobe in the same housing. The main gripe I have with the lights is that the white anti collison light on the wing tip should be flashing and the red/green nav lights should be constant on. Hopefully that is something that can be easily corrected by the purchaser.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

I have a buddy with a 182 (full scale). His Tips have forward facing landing lights on the leading edge of the tips in addition to the two in the center of the left wing...so 4 total. It has the strobe and nav lights in the center of the tip. There are multiple tip options for Cessnas. Easy fix on the model.

[@railfanWV]

@@ModelAV8RChannel Mine will be here next week. I plan to vinyl wrap it as a Civil Air Patrol ship. Decals are already on order from Callie. I'm hoping changing the flashing nav lights to constant on and the wing tip anti collision lights to flash is an eay fix, but I have a feeling it will mean manually cutting and changing the wires in the wire trough in the wing. If you find a better way. let us know. I appriciate your review, well done.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Check this out...not perfect, but it worked and looks good. kzbin.infoUgkxT73QJL3Js7N9IGDpAsQWy70YQ6BGkaMY

[@DavidKing-planes1567]

Very nice video on this thank you

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks!

[@simoneguanziroli3310]

want it

[@SlowFlyer85]

Adam another great looking scale plane it looks great and can tell it flys nice😊👍👍👍👍

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

It really is Frank!

[@SlowFlyer85]

@@ModelAV8RChannel 😭I want it too lol

[@JeffsCustomRC]

Nice work Adam👊🏼👊🏼

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks man.

[@ironmover5800]

Good looking plane , great flying

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks!

[@marcellowithtwols]

Why no battery telemetry in 2024? The annoying thing about FMS planes is that you have to throw away the crap ESC/giro, and $witch to spektrum so you have BASIC safety/telemetry functionality. If you don't vote with your wallet, they'll keep thinking this is OK.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

A lot of people are confused by misinformation that has been put out there. So, while it is popular to believe that Horizon owns FMS...that is incorrect. They do not. They work with FMS on certain projects they are paying FMS to manufacture for them...airplanes specifically, as in the airframes, but not certain components. The Spektrum SMART tech, Avian ESC's, AS3X/SAFE are all proprietary technology developed by Horizon for their own product lines. When FMS makes an airplane of their own design...like this 182, they are not at liberty to use the Horizon components reserved for Horizon name branded product lines any more than Freewing or Hobbyking could. FMS is not the only factory in China Horizon works with. You will only ever see Avian esc's and Spektrum RX's come as standard equipment in E-Flite, Hangar 9, and other product lines specific to Horizon Hobby. They are sold as components by Horizon so you can equip whatever you want with it, but it isn't anymore realistic to expect those components to come in an FMS plane than it would be to expect them to come in a Freewing plane you buy at Motion RC or a Skywing plane you buy from Extreme Flight. Horizon didn't develop that technology as a selling point for everybody's airplanes, they developed it as a selling point for their own planes...which makes sense.

[@M4rkmcc21]

Hi Adam great review. I'm thinking of this or the FMS Maul. Which do you think is the better plane or are they very similar with in-flight performance?

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks! The Maule is a bit more aerobatic and you can bush fly with it. Both fly great though and depending on the type of flying you do the 182 may be the better choice.

[@DadsRCHangar]

Great review of an another great plane from FMS. 🫡

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Thanks Chris!